having just arrived in the US to visit my family I have availed myself of the wide array of moisturizers, lip balms, cosmetics etc etc. Gotta admit, that is one of the biggest drawbacks to life on Koh Phangan. the complete unavailability of any kind of variety of moisturizers.

So, on to the latest addictions.

Burts Bees, never tried them before but i have to say their carrot day cream is the creamiest moisturizer I have ever used. Goes on non-greasy and keeps my skin smooth all day. Not easy to do when its used to high humidity. It is an odd sort of orangey color, but I am assuming it won't turn my skin orange.

And another carrot one, Yes to carrots lip balm. Wow. smooth, moisturizing and smells nice too. I am a lip balm addict and find the balms in Thailand tend to be too waxy. I think I will stock up on this one before I return.

And finally, mascara. Have decided to give the microfiber mascara a try. I don't know how it will do in the high humidity of Thailand but maybelline's XXL extensions microfiber mascara really works a treat. I have abundant but short eyelashes and this really does the trick to extending them. First on is a white base, then the mascara. So, its a two parter. It is available in boots and watsons in Bangkok so if anyone wants some really dramatic looking eyelashes, this stuff is the way to go.

Sorry to make all you Thailand bound ladies envious. I have to say, this is one of the many things I really enjoy about visiting my family.

(that and, of course, seeing my family and enjoying bagels with cream cheese )

if anyone really reads SBK's posts and can still call her a femi-na*i HAHHA then they really are so clueless

I havent seen anyone whos a more girlie girl than SBK

maybe exception of the youngen thithi

I knew I loved you miggie. girlie girl, how sweet.

Have you worn your little black dress yet?

I must admit i had you down as a tomboy type - but never a feminazi..

So..is this thread a good excuse to talk about skin stuffs?

For me an absolute must is Retin-A. Ive been using it for years and I use the strength .05%. I only use it at night before bed. If you have never used it before I say GO EASY, go for minimum percentage and only a couple of times a week, and build up tolerance. Its good for skin texture and keeping skin clear of blackheads. I love it.

no, not a tomboy. Just a country girl

Eek, do you use that ROC stuff? or some other brand? and I thought you had to be careful with sun iwth that stuff?

Have you worn your little black dress yet?

SBK in a little black dress? Ooooooooo. I go weak at the knees.

no, not a tomboy. Just a country girl

Eek, do you use that ROC stuff? or some other brand? and I thought you had to be careful with sun iwth that stuff?

I use this one (I get it at Watsons Chemist):

Its not got anything added. I use reguIar face day cream too (with spf). Just this one at night.

Yes, you shouId be carefuI in the sun with retin-a (as it can heighten skin sensitivity), but i have a VERY high toIerance for retin-a, so i have no sensitivity. As i said, been using it for many years. However, im gIad you mentioned that..in case anyone wishes to try it. Im sorry that i forgot. Its reaIIy one of those things that you shouId start off with at a Iow percentage (do not start off on the percentage I use) and work your way up. Start off using it onIy one or two nights a week and buiId up on that too (i personaIIy recommend using it at night as no sunIight, then use a reguIar cream with spf in daytime). There are a Iot of guides/info/reviews in googIe on it.

I aIso personaIIy prefer to use retin-a seperate from a buiIt in cream Iike roc, for a few reasons. First, i think its stronger that way. I aIso its a good way to gauge toIerance IeveIs. FinaIIy cost/vaIue is better too. You aIso onIy need to use a reaIIy smaII amount of it.

Just some things to note, as I had forgotten the effects of retin-a, for those who may wish to try it for the first time:

Tretinoin (Retin-A, Avita, Renova) is a derivative of Vitamin A and is the treatment of choice for comedonal acne, or whiteheads and blackheads. It works by increasing skin cell turnover promoting the extrusion of the plugged material in the follicle. It also prevents the formation of new comedones. Tretinoin is also the only topical medication that has been proven to improve wrinkles.

Source: http://dermatology.about.com/cs/topicals/a/tretinoin.htm

--

II. Action:

* Unplugs acne follicles and brings acne pimples (comedones) to the surface. This is why tretinoin makes acne look worse in the first few weeks of treatment.

* Will reverse some of the changes of photoaging. Causes lightening of brown sun spots and leads to the disappearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

III. Side Effects:

* Tretinoin makes the skin more sensitive to sun light (easier to get a sun burn).

* Tretinoin causes dryness, redness, tenderness, and swelling of the skin. These side effects lessen with time.

Source: http://www.skinsite.com/info_retin_a.htm

BasicaIIy I find it makes my skin Iook fresher, pores Iess obvious, and my skin a better texture. But, i beIieve its reaIIy a cream for those with oiIy/combination skin, and not so much for dry (I imagine not for sensitive skin..but maybe toIerance can stiII be buiIt up. Check googIe for better info on this than i can give).

-----------------

SBK in a little black dress? Ooooooooo. I go weak at the knees.

Privacy protection means that i cannot reveaI my source, but I certainIy can confirm that your reaction wouId be the right one!

...Oops..thats sbks other IittIe bIack outfit...

Ahh..here we go..

Edited May 4, 200917 yr by eek

Burts Bees is my massive obsession. I have never come across a brand before where so much of it is really really good. Unfortunately it is stupidly expensive in the UK compared with the US (where it is very reasonable).

The best products I have tried from the range are the lemon butter cuticle cream (and wonder treatment for dry nails) and the stick lip balms. I have not been able to afford the hair treatments (which are about £10) but they look amazing.

My obsession is still with Oriental Princess. I am now in the OP club! which means every time I go they baffle me with special offers and I end up buying twice the amount of things I meant to. But they have really impressed me with their natural sunscreen Acne UV block spf 40. I have combination skin that is dry in the UK and more oily here. I am also fair with an celtic, freckly complexion and I am sensitive to most sun blocks. I also get spots from all face sun blocks I have tried (including very expensive brands). I was about to give up and try Shiseido which was previously recommended, but just before I thought I would give the OP one a go. I am sooo impressed. It is about 400 baht, so quite pricey (but a lot cheaper than Shiseido), but a little goes a really long way and it is amazing. It lasts for ages and keeps my skin soft but not greasy. I do have to exfoliate more when using it daily, but just use 20 baht turmeric powder from tesco. Very very very impressed. Thank you again Oriental Princess!

i used to use the Boots No.7 positive action serum

active ingredients are: AHA (Fruit Acid) - to remove dead cells

Aosa (algae extract) - to protect skin's elasticity

but after about a year of using it, they changed the colour of the serum (from a very pleasant pastel shade of orange to some yellowish colour, and the smell slightly different too), so I stopped using it. well that and the fact I havent seen Boots where I now live

but the product is very good. non greasy. its a night serum. i think the other reason I like it is cos of the applicator...gives a fancy feel. it comes with the tiny pipette applicator that you squeeze and release....like a syringe? and they tell you to try to acclimitise your skin by applying only 2 drops each night for the first week, increase to 4 drops, then 6, then 8 in following weeks sounds fancy to me....i had fun with it HAHA

not too expensive, and the best part is, every now and then Boots always has a sales on their branded cosmetics, which means you can sometime buy it for only about half the price!

a friend that has used all sorts of expensive brands at one point switched to Garnier, and tells me its the best product hes used? (yes he)

i'm in colorado now and a 3 minute walk to whole foods where i spend way too much money on burt's bees. i love it though, they have a night moisturizer made with essential oils which is excellent.

lately i discovered olive oil as a moisturizer. the air is super dry (and lower in oxygen) here so i shrivel up like paper. organic olive oil is great for your skin.

yeh i get that in winter too

skin dries up.....looks like what we call snake skin in thai

is made worse when i have to have the heater on. but its either that or put up with the cold

a catch 22

Wow, olive oil. If only I were so lucky! I have to be very careful with creams and cosmetics as I have oily/combination skin which can break out easily if im not careful (I even broke out with mineral powder!). There is no point in me ever trying to wear foundation in Thailand either, as would just slide off! I just use boots no7 Radiant glow concealer around the eyes and anywhere else i think i need it. Then a oil absorbing clear powder (ZA brand).

Just a note about the boots no7 concealer. I used to splurge on YSL Touche Eclait, then I read in an article that boots no7 one was very close. After I tried it, I decided I liked it better. Plus, doesnt cost anywhere near as much. It seems to blend easy no matter what colour I get. Sometimes pale from being indoors too much, sometimes a tan. Never have to worry with that concealer. Recently I treated myself to Dior Skinlights to see if it was any better. Its nice..but I still like the boots no7 much better.

Boots number 7 is a great brand for those of us on a budget, I agree. I've been using their serum for about two years and have been very happy with it.

Heather - we might be using the same one?

i really really like it!

What's the price of Retin-A in Thailand?

^ around 115 baht - 140 baht per 10g tube depending on strength.

Boots number 7 is a great brand for those of us on a budget, I agree. I've been using their serum for about two years and have been very happy with it.

Heather - we might be using the same one?

i really really like it!

its called positive action serum? I see info for positive action cream, but not serum. Im curious about it and cant seem to see it. Also, google isnt coming up with anything (like to read reviews too). Could it have changed its name to 'Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum'?

I heard a rumour years ago that Boots no. 7 was actually Clinique products but in cheaper wrappers. Don't know if that is true.

And I am a happy patsycat, cos' they sell Boots stuff in my local supermarket!! No need to get my sister to send it over from the UK anymore.

Edited July 4, 200917 yr by Patsycat

Us guys should pay more attention to you ladies. Most of you take far better care of your skin than men do. Men tend to boil themselves to lobsters or dry themselves into prunes. My skin isn't too bad, but it does seem to change from being too oily around my noise and too dry on my forehead. I'm not sure if it's my diet or what it is. I hope you don't mind if I eavesdrop a little to learn something new.

It's becoming a trend here in the west for men to pay more attention to skin care, don't know if this is in thailand allready?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT4AnmphET0

Well, my husband does, ever since he started getting dry patchy flaky skin on his face that is! Dr told him it was sun damage so now he uses one of those super high spf moisturizing creams (regular sunscreen gives him acne), wears a hat and sunglasses when he goes out fishing all day.

Well, my husband does, ever since he started getting dry patchy flaky skin on his face that is! Dr told him it was sun damage so now he uses one of those super high spf moisturizing creams (regular sunscreen gives him acne), wears a hat and sunglasses when he goes out fishing all day.

mmm, sounds a bit the same, I also need moisturizing cream almost everday since I started using it, if not my skin get's to dry, especially when coming from the shower.